BUCKSVILLE

DIRECTOR: CHEL WHITE - OREGON (PORTLAND)

(NAR) Abandoned by his mother at a young age, 24-year-old Presley French has grown up immersed in his father’s small town militia group called the Lodge, a secret fraternal organization founded in response to the murder of a girl whose killer went unpunished. Lodge members quietly right local wrongs as they see fit. But when Presley’s uncle takes over as the Lodge’s new leader and forms ties with a radical national militia with an extreme political agenda, things are headed in violent new directions. For Presley, tough family and moral choices are at hand. Set in the deep Northwest woods,...

(NAR) Abandoned by his mother at a young age, 24-year-old Presley French has grown up immersed in his father’s small town militia group called the Lodge, a secret fraternal organization founded in response to the murder of a girl whose killer went unpunished. Lodge members quietly right local wrongs as they see fit. But when Presley’s uncle takes over as the Lodge’s new leader and forms ties with a radical national militia with an extreme political agenda, things are headed in violent new directions. For Presley, tough family and moral choices are at hand. Set in the deep Northwest woods, White’s first feature film is a meditation on the unraveling of the social fabric. The strong cast of new and veteran actors includes one of the film’s executive producers, Tom Berenger.

HEART BREAKS OPEN

DIRECTOR: BILLIE RAIN - WASHINGTON (SEATTLE)

(NAR) A model queer activist and poet, Jesus (Maximillian Davis) prides himself in his work with the Seattle LGBT community. At the same time, Jesus is having unprotected sex and cheating on his long-time partner Johnny (Samonte Cruz). Jesus’ world implodes when he discovers that he is HIV positive, forcing him to confront his innermost fears, his relationship with his ex-boyfriend, and a future living with HIV. Faced with the unknown, Jesus is pulled from the brink of self-destruction by Sister Alysa Trailer (Brian Peters), a drag nun who leads him down a path of self-discovery. “A triumph for the...

(NAR) A model queer activist and poet, Jesus (Maximillian Davis) prides himself in his work with the Seattle LGBT community. At the same time, Jesus is having unprotected sex and cheating on his long-time partner Johnny (Samonte Cruz). Jesus’ world implodes when he discovers that he is HIV positive, forcing him to confront his innermost fears, his relationship with his ex-boyfriend, and a future living with HIV. Faced with the unknown, Jesus is pulled from the brink of self-destruction by Sister Alysa Trailer (Brian Peters), a drag nun who leads him down a path of self-discovery. “A triumph for the LGBT community as it combines prevailing elements of responsibility, intervention, accountability, and heartbreak with an underlying but indubitable message of love.”—Los Angeles Asian Film Festival (81 mins.)

PRECEDED BY

AUSTIN UNBOUNDDIRECTORS: ELIZA GREENWOOD, SELENA STALEY / PORTLAND, OR(DOC) From the age of three, Austin knew that his female anatomy did not fit him. In middle school, he changed his name and began to dress as a boy. Today, Austin identifies as a straight man and a member of the Portland queer ASL community. AUSTIN UNBOUND documents this deaf man’s choice to get a double mastectomy, following his journey from Portland to San Francisco for the surgery, his life in his local queer ASL community, and his interactions with family members. (43 mins.)

HOW THE FIRE FELL

DIRECTOR: E.P. DAVEE - OREGON (PORTLAND)

(NAR) “Joe Haege (31 Knots frontman and part-time Menomena member) stars as preacher Edmund Creffield in Davee’s ambitious debut feature about the turn-of-the-20th-century Corvallis-based cult Bride of Christ Church. Shot on Super-16mm film for a mere $50,000, HOW THE FIRE FELL nails the necessary subtleties of period detail—it never feels like Davee rallied his buddies for a weekend of dress-up—and sustains a vibe of creeping dread throughout, thanks in large part to Scott Ballard’s crepuscular black-and-white photography and a plangent score by Haege and John Askew that recalls the apocalypse aperitifs of A Silver Mt. Zion.”—Willlamette Week

(NAR) “Joe Haege (31 Knots frontman and part-time Menomena member) stars as preacher Edmund Creffield in Davee’s ambitious debut feature about the turn-of-the-20th-century Corvallis-based cult Bride of Christ Church. Shot on Super-16mm film for a mere $50,000, HOW THE FIRE FELL nails the necessary subtleties of period detail—it never feels like Davee rallied his buddies for a weekend of dress-up—and sustains a vibe of creeping dread throughout, thanks in large part to Scott Ballard’s crepuscular black-and-white photography and a plangent score by Haege and John Askew that recalls the apocalypse aperitifs of A Silver Mt. Zion.”—Willlamette Week

NOBODY CARES

DIRECTOR: TRAVIS SWARTZ - IDAHO (BOISE)

(NAR) Bob Rockefeller (not those Rockefellers) has 8.5 days to live, and nobody cares. Passed over for promotion at work, his marriage slipping through his fingers, and his only true friends a pair of loyal guinea pigs, Bob suddenly realizes he wants just one thing before he goes: to be loved. Upon the advice of his psychiatrist whose methods are questionable at best, Bob sets out on a comedic odyssey to turn his life around. With ebullient wit and a rarefied charm, NOBODY CARES explores the thin line between self-confidence and self-delusion.

(NAR) Bob Rockefeller (not those Rockefellers) has 8.5 days to live, and nobody cares. Passed over for promotion at work, his marriage slipping through his fingers, and his only true friends a pair of loyal guinea pigs, Bob suddenly realizes he wants just one thing before he goes: to be loved. Upon the advice of his psychiatrist whose methods are questionable at best, Bob sets out on a comedic odyssey to turn his life around. With ebullient wit and a rarefied charm, NOBODY CARES explores the thin line between self-confidence and self-delusion.

THE OFF HOURS

DIRECTOR: MEGAN GRIFFITHS - WASHINGTON (SEATTLE)

(NAR) “In the languid world of the night shift at a highway diner in the Pacific Northwest, Francine’s small-town life consists of quickies in public restrooms and pouring coffee for truckers and townies. And the inertia isn’t limited to Francine; it extends to the diner owner, a short-order cook, a Serbian waitress, and Francine’s roommate. What they want is out of reach—or is it that they’ve lost track of wanting anything at all? When Oliver, a banker turned big-rig driver, becomes a diner regular, he sparks hope in Francine, introducing the possibility for change.”—Sundance Film Festival. “A reverse angle for...

(NAR) “In the languid world of the night shift at a highway diner in the Pacific Northwest, Francine’s small-town life consists of quickies in public restrooms and pouring coffee for truckers and townies. And the inertia isn’t limited to Francine; it extends to the diner owner, a short-order cook, a Serbian waitress, and Francine’s roommate. What they want is out of reach—or is it that they’ve lost track of wanting anything at all? When Oliver, a banker turned big-rig driver, becomes a diner regular, he sparks hope in Francine, introducing the possibility for change.”—Sundance Film Festival. “A reverse angle for a road movie, focusing not on the people passing through but on those who stay behind.”—Variety

THE OREGONIAN

DIRECTOR: CALVIN LEE REEDER - WASHINGTON (SEATTLE)

(NAR) “There is a place where the skies are wide and the forests are thick and strange. You can lose yourself forever in these woods. Here live troubled truckers and old women with strange powers. You may even make a furry friend. Just be sure to stay quiet. Spend some time with a woman from Oregon who is lost on the road and running away from her past. Now she has a chance to experience everything the Northwest has to offer, whether she likes it or not. If you know Calvin Lee Reeder’s short films LITTLE FARM and RAMBLER, you...

(NAR) “There is a place where the skies are wide and the forests are thick and strange. You can lose yourself forever in these woods. Here live troubled truckers and old women with strange powers. You may even make a furry friend. Just be sure to stay quiet. Spend some time with a woman from Oregon who is lost on the road and running away from her past. Now she has a chance to experience everything the Northwest has to offer, whether she likes it or not. If you know Calvin Lee Reeder’s short films LITTLE FARM and RAMBLER, you know you are in for some thick atmosphere in THE OREGONIAN. Reeder is a king of ambiance, using color and sound to creep you out as much as the sinister characters do. The moody, tense vibes will make you laugh, too. Come in, sit down, and get lost.”—Sundance Film Festival, Park City at Midnight Program

RESTLESS

DIRECTOR: GUS VAN SANT - OREGON (PORTLAND)

(NAR) Enoch (Henry Hopper) is a young man who likes going to strangers’ funerals. Eccentrically morbid and numbed to real engagement, his only friend is Hiroshi (Ryo Kase)—the ghost of a WWII kamikaze pilot—until he meets the beautiful Annabel (Mia Wasikowska). Although a terminal cancer patient, she is a smart, independent spirit and student of nature, and the two misfits form an instant bond. Each, in their own idiosyncratic ways, is coming to terms with the complexities of life, love, and death and must find their own rules. “Annabel and Enoch’s complex and moving journey culminates in their acceptance of...

(NAR) Enoch (Henry Hopper) is a young man who likes going to strangers’ funerals. Eccentrically morbid and numbed to real engagement, his only friend is Hiroshi (Ryo Kase)—the ghost of a WWII kamikaze pilot—until he meets the beautiful Annabel (Mia Wasikowska). Although a terminal cancer patient, she is a smart, independent spirit and student of nature, and the two misfits form an instant bond. Each, in their own idiosyncratic ways, is coming to terms with the complexities of life, love, and death and must find their own rules. “Annabel and Enoch’s complex and moving journey culminates in their acceptance of themselves. The relationships they share with their friends, families, and each other teach them their greatest lessons of all—that every end begets its own kind of rebirth, and love is deathless.”—Cannes Film Festival

SOME DAYS ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS

DIRECTOR: MATT MCCORMICK - OREGON (PORTLAND)

(NAR) “Delicately weaving together the lives of three lonely strangers, the story explores the elusiveness of personal fulfillment as McCormick’s characters bump up against the discarded and are forced to confront their own impermanence and need for human connection. Subtle, convincing performances by musicians James Mercer (The Shins) and Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney) and lyrical cinematography reveal McCormick’s finely tuned directorial eye. As a silent main character, the city of Portland is the common thread—a reminder that, as bleak as things may seem, in small, unexpected moments around unlikely corners, the possibility for hope and beauty remains. McCormick establishes himself as...

(NAR) “Delicately weaving together the lives of three lonely strangers, the story explores the elusiveness of personal fulfillment as McCormick’s characters bump up against the discarded and are forced to confront their own impermanence and need for human connection. Subtle, convincing performances by musicians James Mercer (The Shins) and Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney) and lyrical cinematography reveal McCormick’s finely tuned directorial eye. As a silent main character, the city of Portland is the common thread—a reminder that, as bleak as things may seem, in small, unexpected moments around unlikely corners, the possibility for hope and beauty remains. McCormick establishes himself as an insightful storyteller and a bright new talent.”—AFI Film Festival

THE WANTEDS: THE PART OF ROCK AND ROLL THEY NEVER TELL YOU ABOUT

DIRECTOR: STEPHANIE SMITH - OREGON (PORTLAND)

(NAR) Portland front woman (Kleveland) and filmmaker Stephanie Smith charts the fortunes of Portland bartender/rocker Tommy Harrington on a solo, mid-career bid for stardom. With only the vaguest itinerary, few hard bookings, and a just-revealed pregnant ex-girlfriend, Harrington sets out to live the life. “While the shows lived up to the wacky hype imagined—with Tommy playing in cowboy bars, storage lockers, even a party for Mormon missionaries—a different story began to unfold that was becoming more Shakespeare than SPINAL TAP. It became a story about family, identity, and what happens when you really go for your dream.”—Stephanie Smith

(NAR) Portland front woman (Kleveland) and filmmaker Stephanie Smith charts the fortunes of Portland bartender/rocker Tommy Harrington on a solo, mid-career bid for stardom. With only the vaguest itinerary, few hard bookings, and a just-revealed pregnant ex-girlfriend, Harrington sets out to live the life. “While the shows lived up to the wacky hype imagined—with Tommy playing in cowboy bars, storage lockers, even a party for Mormon missionaries—a different story began to unfold that was becoming more Shakespeare than SPINAL TAP. It became a story about family, identity, and what happens when you really go for your dream.”—Stephanie Smith